Notes and Editorial Reviews

This two-disc set presents a range of Arvo Pärt’s work, from
the more astringent First Symphony, to the luminous sounds of
his later choral works.

The first two works on the first disc, with Paavo Järvi conducting
the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, are from Part’s
‘first period’, during which he embraced the dodecaphonic compositional
techniques of the Second Viennese School. In the opening Nekrolog
we find an excellent sense of ensemble, and full advantage is
taken of the varying sonorities of the scoring - an important
Read more factor, as the instrumentation is designed in such a way to
emphasise the three-dimensionality of the texture. The rhythms
are suitably incisive, and we find well-judged lyricism in strings
and solo oboe – the latter is especially fine. In the more strenuous
passages, the sound is strident and dramatic without ever straying
over the line into harshness. In the ensuing, interesting and
powerful, First Symphony, control of intonation is excellent,
especially in the beautifully unified brass. The phrases are
well-shaped, and there is good control of the very long melodic
lines. The outstanding Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
also brings an impressive range of dynamics to the work.

The final work on the first disc, the Stabat Mater
is, as are all the works on the following disc, from a later
period, when Part had re-emerged with his own compositional
‘voice’. The Stabat Mater is performed by the Taverner
Consort and Fretwork under Andrew Parrott, and opens with an
extended passage for viols which, in its harmonic language and
melodic characteristics, admirably prepares for the sung text.
Repeated rhythmic ‘cells’ are employed to induce a meditative
atmosphere, and the rhythmic stress-patterns inherent result
in an entirely unstrained setting of the text. The Taverner
Consort’s performance, however is not entirely flawless - the
“bulging” of the voices on longer notes begins to irritate after
a while, and some of the top notes seem to be a bit of a struggle,
as well.

The second disc contains a number of works which will be familiar
and much-loved by appreciators of the music of Arvo Pärt, such
as the 7 Magnificat Antiphons and De profundis.
They are performed by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra under the direction
of Tonu Kaljuste, with Christopher Bowers-Broadbent and Ene
Salumae at the organ. The disc opens with Statuit Ei Dominus,
a dramatic work with well-managed contrasts of texture and dynamic.
More spatial separation in the recording would perhaps have
enhanced the three-dimensional effect, as the texture is closely
written (especially when the full choirs and organs are used).
Some of the declamation in the ensuing Missa Syllabica
is rather matter-of-fact: more intensity of pronunciation would
complement the text and the setting better, yet the other works
are all very well performed – with effective range of dynamics
and suitably dramatic touches, for example, in the 7 Magnificat
Antiphons.

On the whole, this is a desirable set, although it should be
noted that the booklet notes are very sparse indeed, containing
minimal information on the composer and the works featured,
and no information on the performers at all.

Customer Reviews

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